Thin-film temperature sensors based on LPD-fabricated β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes

Abstract

We report the synthesis of wide-bandgap β-Ga2O3 nanocrystalline thin films via the low-cost and non-vacuum-based liquid phase deposition (LPD) method. The morphological evolution of the nanocrystalline β-Ga2O3 grains was investigated as a function of the growth temperature, processing time, and pH value of the precursor solution. We successfully calcined gallium oxide hydroxide GaO(OH) through a 3-h annealing process at 800 °C to convert it into β-Ga2O3. We fabricated horizontal-structured Ni/β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes and investigated the electrical characteristics pertinent to sensing temperature in the range of 100−800 K. The temperature sensitivity of the Ni/β-Ga2O3 Schottky-junction temperature sensors, defined as the temperature dependence of junction voltage at a fixed bias current of 10 µA, peaked at −2.924 mV/K in the range between 300 and 500 K. At room temperature, we measured a barrier height of 0.915 eV and a Richardson constant of 43.04 ± 0.01 A/cm2 K2 from the Ni/β-Ga2O3 Schottky junctions. These results indicate that the LPD-synthesized β-Ga2O3 material and devices hold promising potential for sensing applications especially at high temperatures.